


Among The Fallen

by little_wanderer



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Shiro (Voltron), Jaeger Pilots, Kaiju, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Major Character Injury, Other, Pacific Rim AU, Pining Keith (Voltron), Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), SHEITH - Freeform, Slow Burn, Voltron, pining shiro, the lions are jaegers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-17 18:25:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14195013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_wanderer/pseuds/little_wanderer
Summary: The humans were Continually looking to the stars, praying for adventure in the name of hope and exploration. From the stars they expected to find life, but in the end the extra terrestrial life they sought came from far below. In the deep expanse of the Pacific, they came. Giant monsters unlike anything the humans had seen before. The humans had built their cities to defy earthquakes, not these gods of the deep with their claws, their teeth,  and blood which burns all that it touches, acid against the Earth and flesh of men. Kaiju themen called them . With their arrival humanity once again took up the mantle of war in order to bring peace.Shiro had long settled into his role of teaching new pilots ever since his career ending injury, that is until he's given the mission of tracking down Keith Kogane.





	1. The Voltron Five

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I've had this idea for a while now, and I hope you all like it! PLease let me know what you think!

Water, ever flowing, giving and taking. Without it’s gentle mercy humanity would never have formed from that long forgotten flow of stardust. Though for all the goodness it had brought to the earth, it also brought with it death. For without, life withered and died. However with, air becomes scarce and life may leave you all the same. The balance required to continue rests on knife's edge. With the aid of water, of air, life was formed. New and struggling, life overcame until the dawn of humanity. Humanity which brought with it greed and destruction. Hands which ripped from the bowels of the earth gems and metals. Ever building, ever expanding, growing and conquering they lived. A species of war continually fighting so that peace may once again find them. 

A species of dreamers, they were, they are. Continually looking to the stars, praying for adventure in the name of hope and exploration. From the stars they expected to find life, but in the end the extra terrestrial life they sought came from far below. In the deep expanse of the Pacific, they came. Giant monsters unlike anything the humans had seen before. The humans had built their cities to defy earthquakes, not these gods of the deep with their claws, their teeth, and blood which burns all that it touches, acid against the Earth and flesh of men. Kaiju themen called them . With their arrival humanity once again took up the mantle of war in order to bring peace. 

 

To combat the monsters, man built monsters of their own. Giant machines called Jaegers, named after the German hunters of old. The Jaegers were built to the likeness of man, a testament to the endurance of the small race of beings. The first set of Jaegers, a group of five known as Voltron. Black, red, yellow, green, and blue were the lions that lead the charge. Their pilots were heralded as heroes, bringing forth a new wave of military advancement, with the Voltron paladins, man could fight against the Kaiju, pushing them back to the wretched hole from which they came. 

Though with victory came consequence. The original Jaegers, the lions only had one pilot, and the last thing anyone was thinking about was radiation. Slowly the original five paladins fell, some to the Kaiju, some to illness. All had died save for the pilot of the Black lion, Takashi Shirogane hailed as the Champion for his leadership and battle record against the Kaiju. Takashi lived, but not without price. From him was his arm taken. The radiation was not the fault of the engineers, according to the government it was ‘operator misuse’ a ‘pilot error’. With Takashi the generation one Jaegers were retired. 

 

Newer Jaegers were built, made from stronger steel, with better weapons. This time with two pilots so that they could handle the neural strain that accompanied piloting a Jaeger. As the technology advanced, the war waged on. Many died, many lived due to the brave Jaeger pilots. Here we begin, in the midst of a war that is many years to endure, this is the journey of the new paladins and their lionhearts. 

 

Shiro always had had a penchant for hating hospitals. The sterility, the whiteness of the walls. For such a place dedicated to the preservation of life, to Shiro they had always seemed so devoid of what was required to foster it, love and care. Yet now, in a hospital chair he sits, in the rehab facility of the Pan Pacific Defense Core’s hospital. When his arm was taken, he was given only the finest replacement for the last remaining paladin of the Voltron five. The arm itself was made from scraps of the Black Lion, attached to him through the same technology that now allows Jaeger pilots to drift with one another in the new generation of Jaegers. His life had been saved, but his career was over, unable to drift with another pilot after everything that had happened. So here he stayed, training the new generation, staying within the sterile walls of the hospital as he continued on as a guinea pig for prosthetics. Depression had always gnawed at the back of his mind, a parting gift from the death of his comrades, but never was it more present than when he sat among the smell of ammonia and antiseptic. 

“Shirogane! I have an assignment for you.” A voice commanded Shiro’s attention from his quiet revere. 

“Commander Iverson..!” Standing stock still in salute, Shiro greeted his commanding officer. “Forgive me sir, but an assignment…?” After having been sidelined to teaching for the last several years, a new assignment was the last thing he had expected to be given, let alone by Iverson who practically ran the shatterdome. 

“We have a new Jaeger, shirogane and we can’t just let anyone pilot her. I need you to find Kogane.” Voice cold, Iverson handed over a file, years worth of tracking information wedged between its folds, all failed attempts at locating Kogane. “She takes a certain amount of skill to pilot, one that our new cadets just don’t have” 

 

“ Sir with all due respect...No one has seen Kogane in years..Not since..” Not since pilot error remained unspoken. Keith Kogane was the single most talented pilot the Pan Pacific Defense Corps had ever seen, he was set to take part in the mark two wave of Jaeger pilots. Keith was a fierce fighter with a fierce temper, and he was a close friend of Shiro’s. When news of what had happened to Shiro reached him, he had not taken to it well. Iverson had earned himself a glass eye, and Keith an expulsion from the Jaeger programme in Iversons fit of rage. It had always been a mistake to let go of Keith. When it was realized the Kaiju would not stop their assault, efforts were made to track Keith, but without Shiro to guide him, he quickly left any traceable part of the world. 

“Shirogane, we believe we may have found a lead on him. You were always the only one who could reach Kogane. We need you to do it again... I’ll be honest with you, the UN has decided to discontinue the Jaeger programme and fund the Wall of Life project. We’re putting most of our funds into this new Jaeger, and we need him to pilot it. We need you to bring him back.” 

 

Looking down at the folder in his hand, Shiro knew he didn’t have a choice, not really. This was Keith, Keith who had spent the better part of his life chasing the Jaegers, chasing the creatures that had killed his father. It was time to find Keith, to bring him home. Looking to Iverson, he nodded, accepting his fate. 

 

“ Thank you, Shiro. You leave early tomorrow. At ease, officer.”

Just as quickly as Iverson had marched into the stale therapy room had he left, Shiro’s life now in a new direction.For once he felt hope and excitement for what was to come. File in hand Shiro went to pack, to find Keith. To bring him back to a Jaeger, to bring him home.


	2. The Styx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an update! I hope you guys like it!

The flight over was long, the hours dragging on in anticipation. Not only at the thoughts of the coming fighting, but at the prospect of seeing Keith again. Keith who had virtually disappeared after his dismissal from the Jaeger program. In all honesty, Shiro missed him. The whole program had lost its fire the moment he had left. It was almost impossible to believe that after five long years, Keith had finally been tracked down. 

Well, tracked down wasn’t entirely the right word for it. It was more like a chance spotting by a wall inspector who happened to know Keith was a wanted man in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. 

Keith now inhabited a rural town near Russia’s coast, reportedly spending his time working atop the wall and fighting in a small gym that doubled as a boxing arena. It sounded to be the town’s sole source of entertainment. The thought of Keith in Russia made Shiro chuckle, Keith hated the cold, it was hard to imagine him among the frozen wastes of Russia, let alone fighting for scraps of pocket change. 

Keith has always been fire incarnate, and Shiro cannot imagine that fire thriving against Russia’s biting winter winds. That which fangs burrow deeply to the bone and uses one’s skin as armour to the sun. But at times it seemed as if Keith’s fire existed merely to spite the sun, his gravity far stronger than any distant stars. 

 

Folder in hand, Shiro stepped off the plane. Taking in his surroundings, he noted the airport could barely be called that, a lone runway and outbuilding used for monitoring the small amount of air traffic received in this secluded corner of the world. Then again, this wasn’t exactly the picture of a booming economy. In his mind, he could understand the lonesomeness of the town, It was understandable why people wouldn’t want to live somewhere where the summer high barely reached 50 degrees. 

Following the lone road, Shiro made his way into town. The sun was just setting, work on the wall should be finished by now, which left Keith’s most likely place of current occupancy the small gym which doubled as a boxing arena. From what his source had said in the file, it was the best place to be after a days work welding atop the wall, and it could earn you a few dollars on the side if you could prove you had enough grit to get by in the ring. 

 

The inside of the Styx gym was warm, the faint smell of stale beer and sweat permeating the air. Keith, it seemed, had more than enough grit. After five long years, there he stood in the center of the ring, surrounded by a halo of light, taking a punch to the face with an impossible amount of grace. It must have been a lucky punch by his opponent because the next second he was down, staggering to get up, before planting his face solidly back against the mat. The match was and the onlookers burst forth in a round of celebration, even Shiro feeling a bit elated at Keith’s win. Perhaps it was the time and distance they had been apart, perhaps it was the elation of Keith’s win, but Shiro’s heart swelled all the same at the sight of his long time friend. Five years hadn’t changed Keith much, without his shirt, Shiro could see a few new scars littering the man’s body, but he seemed just as he had when he left, exuding the essence of the wildfire that burned within him. 

Shiro waited until Keith had exited the ring and went to the makeshift bar before approaching. 

“Keith...It’s been a long time-” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he was met with wide blown violet eyes. Those same eyes that challenged the stars with their beauty. 

“Shiro…” his name a whisper on Keith’s lips, he found himself in an embrace, he quickly returned it, relishing in the embrace he had missed these last few years. “What are you doing here?”

“ I came here to find you...To bring you back to the Jaeger program.” As glad as Shiro was to see Keith, he knew Keith was not keen on returning to the people who had ridiculed and rejected him. “You know, you’re not an easy man to find.” 

“I didn’t want to be found…” for a second it seemed as if guilt flashed across those amethyst eyes. “And I certainly don’t want to return to the Jaeger program.” 

Shiro had been expecting this, he knew that it was not a rejection. It was not Keith rejecting Shiro and his friendship, but rather the future he had long given up on. Shiro knew, to Keith’s credit, that his denial to return wasn’t unfounded. The Jaeger program was not kind to its Rangers, many lost their lives in their fight against the Kaiju. Not to mention Keith’s struggle with the drift. He didn’t trust anyone to be in his head, to see his past. To allow himself be vulnerable. 

“Keith, at least hear me out.” He didn’t want to plead with Keith, and certainly not here in this rundown dump of a gym. 

 

“Shiro, why would they even want me- No, no, actually don’t answer that. I just realized I don’t give a shit about the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. After all, the only good thing about that damn place was taken out of the Jaeger program years ago.” Keith finished, throwing back the rest of his drink before turning to leave. “After all, I have a job, and work on the wall starts bright and early. Sorry to have wasted your time, Shiro.” 

“Keith…” No sooner was Keith gone, leaving Shiro alone with his thoughts and five years of distance between them. Shiro had been assigned this mission to bring Keith back, and that was exactly what he would do. Not only because it was his mission, but because Keith did not deserve to burn out atop the freezing wall, building a defense he knew would never work, but because the chance to fight, to make a name for himself, to be the strength that the Jaeger program so desperately needed...It was what Keith deserved and shiro would fight to make sure Keith returned to his rightful place, even if it meant headbutting with the man himself. 

 

If there was any man left who could defend the earth, It would be Keith. Keith who was a fierce fighter and loyal to a fault. Keith who was the only other living person to have solo piloted a Jaeger, the only other remaining former lion pilot. Keith, who had saved Shiro’s life. Thankfully, Shiro was not a man who left his debts unpaid. 

 

Stepping out of the gym and into the freezing of the night, he managed to find a room in the small in.It seemed he was the only customer for months. The poverty of the town struck a chord with Shiro, the wall must be the sole source of income for most of the residents. Sorrow reared itself within Shiro at the thought of Keith living here, isolated in the poverty stricken town that barely even had a post office. Better not to dwell on it and get some sleep, he thought, after all his job was to get Keith out of there, and like he said work started bright and early on the wall. It was a good thing Shiro packed warm clothes.


	3. The last Pilot Of the Red Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to make it clear that the events of this story would be happening in the first movie. Waay before the upgraded Jaegers of Uprising, hence the Mark Five being the fastest Jaeger in accordance to cannon of the first movie. 
> 
> Also I liked Uprising, but honestly, my heart will always belong to the first movie and Jaeger crews. I just liked them a lot better when they were heavier and slower, it had much more of a sense of physics that kept it grounded more so in reality than in uprising where the Jaegers can apparently do acrobatics now? I did still really like Uprising though! Did you guys like Uprising? Have you seen it yet? let me know what you think!

 There was a time when dreams had been kind to Shiro, back in the comforts of childhood when they told him of stars and of distant worlds. Dreams had not been kind to Shiro as of late, plaguing his mind with visions of past horrors. 

  
  


_    It was supposed to be a normal mission, even with only three lions left in commission, it should have been easy. A category three, codename fang. The Black, Red, and Yellow lions had been dropped. It was supposed to be a normal mission, what they hadn’t counted on was the speed of the Kaiju. The Yellow Lion went down nearly as soon as it was dropped, leaving the Red Lions pilot, Alfor, and Shiro to finish off the Kaiju. Even with the abnormal speed of the new Kaiju, it should have been easily handled by Alfor in Red, the fastest Jaeger they had. Though Alfor was sick, he had been sick for months and no cadet had been cleared to replace him. The higher ups had been unwilling to sacrifice another pilot when new Jaegers were being built, Jaegers with two pilots to handle the neural load. Jaegers that would not kill their pilots. _

  
  


_   Rain pounded down in heavy sheets, reducing visibility inside of the Black Lion.  The Kaiju had regressed back to the oceans murky depths.  _

 

_ “Alfor, can you see anything?” Panic laced the edge of his voice, the Yellow Lion was already gone, leaving them with an uncomfortable hole in their defense. “Alfor, do you have any visual of the Kaiju in Red?” _

  
  


_  Silence rang on the end of the line, the Red Lion stood still among the waves. Shiro turned to face Alfor, greeted only by the stillness of his fellow pilots Jaeger. Then the waves parted and from them came Fang, ramming into the Black Lion. Claws tore, tore away at the face of the Lion, shrapnel flying in all directions in the cockpit. Pain seared through his arm, crimson running down in thick rivulets, tribulaties to an ocean of suffering. A rod from the controls had broken off, taking up  residence within his arm. There was screaming over the comms, panicked, Shiro realized it was his own. The Kaiju was still on him, and alfor was still down, using his good arm, Shiro pushed back against the Kaiju.  _

 

_ There was scuffling on the line, command center in a flurry of motion.  _

 

_ “Shiro! Shiro Hold on I’m coming.” a familiar voice reached out to him, and Shiro silently prayed that the voice wasn’t Keith’s, but deep within, he knew it was.  _

 

_ “ Keith, no! It’s too dangerous out here!” He shouted back, but no response came from keith, Iverson answering in his stead. Silently, Shiro prayed, prayed to any god that would listen to keep Keith out of this fight.  _

 

_ “ We have no other options, Shirogane. Kogane was the only one to volunteer, ” The words were heavy, piloting Red might very well be a death sentence, Keith’s first mission may be his last. At the thought of Keith’s arrival, he fought harder against the Kaiju, but injured and unable to use his knife or plasma cannon, he was more or less at the Kaiju’s mercy.  _

  
  


_  Above, helicopters gathered above the red lion, and from them repelled down Keith. Keith who was still wearing armor from the training simulator. Keith who had never even been inside of a Jaeger before, ready to march to death to protect Shiro. He watched, time seemed to slow as Keith opened the emergency exit on the top of the Jaegers head. Keith ducked inside, and only a few moments later, reemerged, Alfor on his back. Once Alfor was safe with the helicopter crews, he returned to the cockpit of the Red Lion. At once light returned to the Jaeger as she once again had a pilot, her last pilot.  _

 

_ “ Shiro, are you alright?” Keith’s voice rang clear from his cockpit. The sight of the Red Lion coming towards him was one Shiro would never forget. The Jaeger had seemed alive, burning with a fire only Keith could bring.  _

  
  


_ “I-I’m fine” Shiro choked out, “let’s finish this bastard.” Looking down at his arm Shiro knew he was not of much use, at this point he could barely register feeling in the limb, and he was losing blood fast. Unable to use his weapons, he could still be of use as a shield for Keith, if that’s what it took to keep Keith alive through this battle.  _

 

_   Keith charged forward in the Red Lion, sword drawn, taking the fight away from Shiro, driving back the Kaiju blow by blow. With a final drive of Keith’s sword through the Kaiju’s heart, the battle was over. Relief coursed through Shiro, they would both live to see another dawn, another day.  _

 

_ “Shiro, are you alright?” Keith’s voice came through the comms, he sounded winded, one’s first real fight is always a bit overwhelming.  _

 

_ “Keith-”  _

  
  


Shiro woke with a start, drenched in cold sweat. The memory of his last fight haunted him. The death of his friends, Keith’s intervention...It should have been his last day, the Black Lion his coffin, but it was just like Keith to charge in after him. Looking down at his prosthetic, Shiro counted to ten, heart racing,  releasing and clenching his fist, a reminder that he had survived. He was still here. The cold of the room helped to ground him. The small analog clock by his bedside flashed 6:00am in dimming green lights. It seemed the clock was on its last leg just like everything else in the small town. As Keith had said, work on the wall starts early, and even at 6:00am, he was already late. Quickly getting dressed, he made his way to the wall. 

 

 After asking after Keith for the better part of the hour, Shiro made his way to the top of the wall. It was a treacherous climb, the wall slick with ice, workers equipt with questionable safety equipment.There, welding at the top, sat Keith. Face concealed behind his welders mask, he didn’t seem to notice Shiro until he was directly in front of the smaller man.

 

 “ I was starting to think you’d given up on recruiting me after all.” Sliding his mask up, amethyst eyes met silver. 

 

 “ We all know I’d never give up on a mission.” Sitting in front of his long time friend, he takes Keith in in the daylight. He’s grown from the unruly teen he last knew. Before him sits a man, all sharp angles and muscle from years building the wall. It fills Shiro with pride to see how he’s grown into his lanky limbs and hair. “I’d never give up on you, Keith.”

  
  


 “Well, you never did when I was back at the garrison. You were the only one that ever gave a shit about me.” There’s bitterness smoldering in his voice, but it only lingers there for a moment. “ I thought I told you that you’re wasting your time here, Shiro”

  
  


“I think you’re wasting time up on this wall. This was never where you were meant to be, Keith.” Shiro had never expected Keith to immediately come with him, after all Keith had never been one to trust so easily, especially someone he hadn’t seen in years.

 

  “The wall suits me just fine. There’s hardly anyone to report to and for the most part people let me be.” 

  
  


  Heart constricting at the thought of Keith being alone those last five years, Shiro tries to muster a smile. “Come on, I haven’t even told you about the Jaeger they want you to pilot yet.” 

 

Perking up at the mention of the Jaeger, Keith slides closer, trying, but failing to hide his eagerness. Keith had always loved the Jaegers, the very idea of them. Shiro often found him down in the fight simulators late at night, clocking in kill after kill. Smiling, Shiro pulled out the folder with the Mark Five’s design and schematics. 

 

“ It’s designed after the purpose of the Voltron Lions. She’s a mark five, the fastest of the Jaegers to date.  All new weapons and defense systems...We’ve never built anything like this, Keith...Truth be told, The Jaeger program is being shut down...This Jaeger is what the Defense Corps has funneled the last of our funding in to..” 

 

“ Wait wait the Jaeger program is being shut down? Shiro, you know as well as I do that this wall won’t hold back shit if a Kaiju were to attack.” Keith’s anger seeps through his voice. “And you said Voltron...You mean to tell me they’re bringing back the Voltron Formation?”

 

 A grin takes hold of Shiro, unable to hold back any longer. “No Keith, you are bringing back Voltron.” 

 

For the first time in years, on top of Russia’s freezing, failing defense wall, watching Keith’s eyes go wide, realizing the chance he’s been offered, Shiro feels alive again. Feels safe at the thought of Keith leading the resistance against the Kaiju. 

 

“ I-I” Keith’s mouth opened and closed, a fish out of water. “ Why do they want me? I’m sure there’s better pilots for the job.” 

 

“You’re the best option, Keith. You’re the only pilot left familiar with the Voltron formation. You’re the most talented pilot the Pan Pacific Defense Corps has ever seen, no one has the same resonance with the Jaegers as you do. You’re drift compatible. The kaiju are coming in quicker intervals. Do you want to die on top of this frozen waste, or do you want to fight back in a Jaeger?” It was a push, even by Shiro’s standards it sounded a bit too much like the speech they were given as cadets. However, he needed Keith to return. Now that he’d seen him again, not taking Keith back with him wasn’t an option. 

 

Set with a fierce look of determination, those deep galaxy eyes were on him again. “Let’s form Voltron.” The steele in Keith’s voice rekindling the hope Shiro had long lost, the promise of new adventure on the horizon. 


End file.
